What Should I Do?
by Unrequited
Summary: Don't ignore it because it's short! It doesn't have any specific place in the timestream, but it talks about what choices Inu-Yasha has.


WHAT SHOULD I DO?

It was a dark night and the moon seemed dim, as if farther away from the Earth this night, but its brightness could still be seen partly behind a cloud cover.  The clocks had struck twelve o-clock seventeen minutes ago.

Kagome had just woken up, possibly from the end of a dream which even having just seen she could not remember.  Her eyes, only half opened, were adjusting to the light and analyzing a strange shadow on her door.  But she became a little more awake when she realized that the shadow was from outside of her room.  She roused herself and came to a sitting position, turning around to better see what it was.  The attack from the Mask of Flesh had taught her that although many of her adventures in finding the Jewel of the Four Souls took place in the past, some would follow her anywhere.  The shadow moved downward, even though she was on a second story floor, as Kagome got up to look.  Wanting to spot the spy before they got away, she hurried her stumbling feet and flung open the window.  Looking out, Kagome realized that it was Inu-Yasha.  He was running under darkness to the cover of the well-house, but his white hair betrayed him even in such dim light.

"Inu-Yasha!  Come here!"  Kagome shouted with just enough volume to let him hear without waking anyone else.  Inu-Yasha froze in place, amazed that after all this time he'd been found out.  He trudged back towards the house and leaped up to catch an eave of the first storey and get within range of Kagome's window.  She backed up a bit, to sit back on the bed, awaiting his entrance.  He came in through the open window and turned to shut it before sitting on the floor cross-legged in front of her bed.

"What did you want?"  He asked her, still annoyed at himself for being found out.  Kagome was not the only one to remember the Mask of Flesh and Inu-Yasha was worried for her safety.  Also, this job kept him near her and away from the meddlers that they had picked up along their journey.

"I want to know why you were spying on me.  You know that if there is a jewel shard, or trouble, that I'll come get you."  Kagome said, sensing that he was slightly angered.

"As long as the Jewel is still shattered, and in your possession, I have to make sure that no one else gets it."  He said thinking his motives to be very obvious.

"You should at least tell me that you're out there.  One of the neighbors could have thought that you were a burglar.  

"Don't you need to sleep too?  You should stay in the house, where it's warm."  She said, worried for his safety.  

"I'm fine, I won't even have to put up with such stupidity once I have the Jewel of the Four Souls."  He replied turning away from her.

"Speaking of which, it's been bugging me for a long time…  What are you going to do with it?"  It had been bugging Kagome for quite a while, in fact, since she learned that Inu-Yasha could become either human or demon with its help.  Once, she had shared her concerns with Miroku.  Who had seconded her fears.  He also believed that part of the curse of the Jewel of the Four Souls had something to do with the user losing his own soul.  Everyone who's fate collided with the Jewel's had lost themselves to it.  While Inu-Yasha, at first hearing this theory, laughed it off, believing he was stronger than any of their previous foes, he along with the others could not be sure.

Now Kagome wanted to know what his decision would be.   No matter how much they fought with each other, Kagome had grown to love him for who he was.  If he became human he could live in either world with little difficulty.  But Inu-Yasha hated being human even twelve nights out of the entire year, it was very unlikely that he would choose that fate.  At the same time, what would being a full demon, do for him, or maybe to him.  Even when he naturally turned human, for only a night, his personality changed a little.

"I still want to be a full demon, I'll be much stronger that way.  Then no one can stand in my way."  He said, turning back to her so that she could see his determination.

"In the way of what?  Other than retrieving the Jewel, what goals do you have?  Even if you had any to begin with, who's to say that your personality and goals would survive?"  Kagome said a little too loudly, to emphasize her fears to him.

"So you're saying that I should become a _weak human_ without my personality?"  His voice rich with venom at the words "weak human."

"No that's not what I'm saying," Uncertain of what his reaction would be, Kagome paused to look him in the eyes.  "I think that it might be a good idea for you to take over, protecting the Jewel.  That way you won't have to make such a decision and I know that you're strong enough already, as a half demon, to protect it."

Inu-Yasha was taken aback.  He hadn't thought of that choice.  Kagome really believed in him, that he could be a guardian of the Jewel.  Not only that, but she had indirectly told him that once the Jewel was purified and put together, she was passing on her job to him and leaving.  If she wasn't even going to be around, what was the point to retaining his personality, if it would be absorbed in the Jewel anyway?  She was the only person he wanted to protect anyway.

"What does it matter to _you_?  It sounds like as soon as the Jewel is complete you'll forget all about it and just take your tests," Inu-Yasha said roughly.

"That's not important, why do you need to change yourself?  You've gotten this far as you are."

"And nearly gotten killed all along the way.  If I can be stronger then why shouldn't I try to be?"  Inu-Yasha asked, sure that he had the right idea.

"The Tetsusaiga has given you quite an edge already, changing would prevent you from using it.   And in nearly killing _yourself_ you saved lots of people," said Kagome, starting to grab at any reason that kept Inu-Yasha as he was and kept her out of it.

"I saved lots of pathetic humans you mean."

"I'm just trying to say that you don't need to be any stronger.  You've accomplished a lot and being a demon would give you a lot of disadvantages."

"It's better than being a half-demon"

"Wouldn't you still in a way be a half-demon?  You can't change the fact that your mother was human."

"Enough of your idiotic babbling, you should be asleep."  He said, evading the answer.

"At least think about it."  She said, yawning afterwards and laying back down in bed.  Inu-Yasha rose to leave again and watch the window.

"Stay in here, everything will be just fine, you should get some sleep too."  Kagome continued when she saw him start to leave.  Knowing she would protest until he did, Inu-Yasha sat down propped up against the wall by her bed.

The oncoming fork in the road had spawned another.  He decided that he would choose the correct path when it approached him.  As much as Kagome hated being a replacement, she was, Kagome was the new and improved version of Kikyo.  Inu-Yasha's thoughts were dimming as he slipped into slumber. 


End file.
